Eastern University’s golf team is making a statement this spring season. In the fall, the team did not look good, placing low in their tournaments. That quickly changed, however, when they opened up this spring with the Eastern Spring Invitational. As a team, they shot 311, just beating Cabrini by one shot. Salvatore Tortora shot a career best of 76. Everything seemed to be working for him; he held a strong putt throughout the tournament. Ryan Torresin also played well, shooting a 75 to lead the team.

The next three games were close, the Eagles coming in second place. In Yardley, PA, the Eagles attended the Cairn Invitational. The Eagles initially finished the tournament in a tie for first, but through a scorecard decision, Penn State Abington pulled out on top of the Eagles. Even though they lost, the players still played well, Torresin shooting another great game at 75. Freshman Matt Cocorikis shot a good game as well, shooting a 76.

Next, the team travelled to Chesapeake Bay Golf Course in Rising Sun Maryland, where they ended in another tiebreaker, eventually losing to Stevens and coming in second overall. Strangely, the team shot high with Torresin shooting 79, Cocorikis shooting 81, and Andrew Barbin Jr. shooting an 84 to round it out.

Yet unlike at the Chesapeake Bay, the Swarthmore Invitational was not close. Swarthmore dominated with a score of 308. The Eagles, however, came close, finishing in second with a score of 323. Torresin and sidekick Cocorikis finished with a 77. And perhaps, Mother Nature got the best of the Eagles with wind and low temperatures, unfavorable weather for golf.

The Eagles jumped back into action at the Elizabethtown Invitational. The team shot 308 at the Hershey Country Club. Ryan Torresin shot his best game ever, carded a 72. Cocorikis shot a 73, finishing third overall in shooting. Barbin finished shooting a 78 and Tortora shot an 85. Eastern got their payback, outdueling Stevenson, who scored 313.

The team continued to stay hot, coming out on top of the Alvernia Invitational. Matt Cocorikis dominated, shooting a spring best of 73. With a fabulous shooting game, Cocorikis won the medal for the lowest score. Torresin followed up shooting at 76 to place second.

The Eagles have been playing extremely well, and they continue to stay hot. This past Sunday, they came out on top of the Stevenson Invitational. The team shot 318 and performed well. Senior Ryan Torresin looks to finish his last season strong, as this is the best season he has played. However, freshman Matt Cocorikis will fill the void left by Torresin and continue to carry the Eagles. Look for Salvatore Tortora as well to grow as a player; I can see him being a consistent 78 shooter. Tortora has the potential to be another leader on the team. Next season will be Andrew Barbin’s final season; he will be looked on to help the Eagles fly.

The first month of Major League Baseball is always interesting. With new faces in new places, fans always wonder how a new player will perform on the team. This season, there are many new players that are making an impact on their team. Most importantly, however, the first month of baseball does not predict the outcome of the end of the season. Some teams may start off hot, but in baseball, that can quickly change with 182 games yet to be played. So, how has the 2016 season of baseball started?

The American League East, like always, is a very competitive division. Teams are constantly swapping places as Baltimore, Boston, Toronto, Tampa, and the Yankees are playing at the same intensity. In the first ten games of the season, the Orioles are at the top of the East in first place. Strangely, as they hold the best record in the East, the Orioles’ four starting pitchers hold high ERA’s. Three of the four pitchers hold an ERA above five, as Ubaldo Jimenez has an ERA of 3.75. Jimenez is off to a solid start as he is 1-1 in two games. Jimenez used to be a star pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, but he slowed down as players began adjusting to his pitches. I can see Jimenez performing like he did in 2010, when he went 19-8. With him staying healthy, the Orioles might have a chance to stay in first place. Yet, I do not see them staying in first for long.  The Toronto Blue Jays will come out on top of the east. In their first ten games, the Jays went 5-5. The team is full of hitters, who always manage to put the ball in play, and when they are hot they do not miss. The only thing holding the Jays back this season is there pitching rotation. No familiar names are on the five-man rotation, except for R.A. Dickey. Marcus Stroman is the number one pitcher on the rotation with an ERA of a little above four and his first two starts at 2-0. Look for the young stud to be the front-runner for the Jays rotation.

The Kansas City Royals are still doing what they always do, and that is winning. The Royals are 8-2 in their first ten games. The reigning champions do not look to be holding back this season. It seems to be that they are picking up from where they left off . Looking at their pitching rotation, they have the best starting rotation in baseball. Edison Volquez, Chris Young, Kris Medlen, Yordano Ventura, and Ian Kennedy are high caliber pitchers with talent. The team is the same from last year and looks to be in the World Series a third time. The Tigers seem to be the only team in the Central that can compete with the Royals. The team is stacked with veterans that know how to win. Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers first baseman, will lead the team and put up great numbers.

The American League West is a tricky division to predict. Currently, Texas is the only team with a record over .500, while the rest of the league has a losing record. Texas is not holding first place for much longer, and the Seattle Mariners will power through the division this season. The key player that needs to get hot is Robison Cano. Cano used to be known as the best hitter in baseball; however, he has been struggling with his bat. His batting average is currently floating in the mid .200, and he needs to find his stroke. The team certainly relies on him in order to move into first place. Most importantly, Felix Hernandez needs to stay healthy. The only problem Hernandez has every season is run support.

The National League is always fun to watch. The NL East is not similar to the AL East, but they both certainly play hard. Usually one team comes out on top of the division with out any competition. This year I believe it will be the Washington Nationals. Currently, in their first ten games, the Nationals are 9-1. Bryce Harper is off to a hot start as he is already hitting monster homeruns. In the first ten games he has hit five homeruns, with a .343 batting average. Complementing the offense, the pitching rotation has been shutting down the opposition. Stephen Strasburg is one of five stellar pitchers. Strasburg is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA. He has shown that his command and velocity is back this season. The rest of the division shows a lot of potential; however, the Nationals have players that are playing at a higher intensity. Hopefully the Mets get back into World Series form, as they might end up in the standings soon.

In the NL Central the Chicago Cubs look to be the fan favorite. Everyone is waiting for the curse to end, but that is not happening anytime soon. Sorry, Cubs fans. Although they started off 8-2 in their first 10 games, I do not see them staying in first. I see the Pittsburgh Pirates coming away with the first place spot. They do not have a fancy pitching rotation, but the addition of Francisco Liriano benefits the Pirates. Also, Gerrit Cole looks to put up another fantastic season. Last season he was 19-8; hopefully he can duplicate that this season. The Pirates are going to need him to be at the top of his game, if they hope to be in first. Lastly I would like to leave you baseball fanatics on this note of the NL Central: the St. Louis Cardinals know how to win.

The last division I would like to discuss is the NL West. This is a division that is usually dominated by the Dodgers, but this season I can see another team at the top. The Colorado Rockies are looking great so far this season. The Rockies’ shortstop, Trevor Story, is making headlines, as the rookie has a knack for hitting homeruns. Story hit a homerun in the first seven games of the season. The stud is attracting attention from the entire league. Now the question is, will he continue to play at that level? If he does, Nolan Arenado looks to have a pal that may put up 40 homeruns, like he did last season. The duo can potentially be a deadly duo in baseball that pitchers will hate to face. The only area of concern for the Rockies is the pitching rotation. The Rockies can only gamble as they have the potential to be phenomenal or to struggle, as all five starting pitchers are known to struggle.

The 2016 season looks to be full of talent from new faces. It is great to see young talent play at high levels with the veterans. The rest of the season looks to be interesting, as baseball is unpredictable. I would like to make an early prediction; I can see the Washington Nationals winning the World Series. They have the talent and chemistry to win the World Series. The team is hot right now and cannot see the fire burning out this season. On the other hand, they might have their fire put out and fall to the bottom of the National League.

Baseball season has begun

Where sons, and dads-

Cheer for fun.

In a cathedral for religious fans

Who Admire those

With farmer tans

The vibrant vertical

Green strands dance

At the feet of the saints

The umpire preaches on fate

It’s either he is out or safe,

So he states

The fragments of hot dogs and beer

Intertwine with slurs

and their obnoxious objective sneers

The pitcher is on the platform

Ignoring the world around him

As he has to per-fect his form

His troops stand behind

With green and brown stains

Avoiding any particular bind

We gawk at these Warriors

Nine inning ignite nerves

But the fans will never stop cheering.

In this cathedral

Fans are reborn

As baseball resurrects once more.

One, two! One, two! This basic combo is similar to a baby learning how to walk, it is the basic’s of developing a boxer. This is an art, rather than two individuals trying to cause the most damage to each other. A boxer’s training regimen requires a lot of dedication and commitment. People train their whole life and sacrifice everything just to make it out of the amateurs. Boxing is not the same as it was back in the days of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. Back then, boxing was a common sport to talk about like basketball or baseball. Today, the hype has certainly died down as the rivalries and action disappeared. What happened to the Ali vs. Frazier rivalries in boxing? These guys were fighting in their prime, unlike Floyd Mayweather who waited until the end of his career to fight Manny Pacquiao. Imagine if these two have fought in their prime, boxing would have taken off and we possibly could have had one of the best rivalries in sports history. Instead the world watched Mayweather run around the ring with Pacquiao, to make an insane amount of money. Ridiculous. This is why I enjoy watching fighters who are up and coming because they have to fight at a different level in order to make a name for themselves. This doesn’t discredit Mayweather, as he did fight his way to the top; however, I am disappointed that we did not get more nail-biting fights out of him as he got older. Professional fighters Andre Ward and Danny Garcia are fighters who have the potential to bring life to the sport of boxing once again.

Andre Ward (29-0) has all the characteristics of a great fighter. He is a hard-hitting, patient, orthodox boxer who has not lost since the age of 13. Recently, Ward fought the main event on HBO against Sullivan Barrera. This fight was his debut into the Light Heavyweight, as he usually fights at the Middleweight level. Ward holds multiple titles at the Middleweight level and is now ready to prove he can dominate the Light Heavyweight division. In the fight against Barrera, Ward had total control, as Barrera could not manage to land any hits. Ward’s defense was phenomenal. Throughout the fight his defense would transition into offense that usually shook the cranium of Barrera. Ward won the fight by unanimous decision. Ward is now on track to take on boxing’s unified Lightweight titleholder, Sergey Kovalev, this fall on PPV HBO. This will be one of the most anticipated fights this year as it can go both ways for both fighters. Ward has the heart to compete, however, Kovalev is one of the hardest hitters in boxing today and if he manages to land one hit on Ward, he may turn off his lights.

Philly’s own Danny Garcia is making a name for himself too. The current North Philadelphia star is 32-0 and currently holds the Welterweight title. Before fighting in the Welterweight division he fought in the Light Welterweight division. His last fight was against Robert Guerrero, in which he won by unanimous decision. It was an extremely close fight as Garcia won 116-112. Garcia’s combination of punches were precise and showed he has the talent to compete with the best of the Welterweights. I would love to see Danny Garcia take on Timothy Bradley. Bradley is one of the top boxers in the Welterweight division after Pacquiao, his rival. Bradley will be taking on Pacquiao for a third time in April. However, Bradley should take on Garcia, as I can see it being an amazing fight.

There are plenty of fighters that are thirsty for the opportunity to fight on the big stage. I am looking forward to the next few months, as HBO will be hosting several fights. Hopefully the boxing world takes a turn for the best.

The Eagles men’s lacrosse team seems to be waking up, as they won their last three games. After losing to the University of the South, the Eagles managed to go on a three-game winning streak. The game against the University of the South was a close game as they lost 6-5. If the Eagles had contained them in the first period, they would have managed to pull out a victory. Jake Pousson and Jake Billera both produced two goals, and Mark Buannic the freshman had a goal for himself as well. But enough with the negative; lets get positive.

Illinois Wesleyan University came to visit St. Davids and was sent home with a lost. The Eagles were stumped in the first two periods as they were losing 5-3. Wesleyan was looking good the first half; they looked like they were pulling away from the Eagles. However, the Eagles caught second wind and shut Wesleyan’s offense down. The Eagles’ defense only allowed one goal in the second half, while the offense added on four goals to lead them to victory. Tim Lamb played phenomenal as he scored three clutch goals the Eagles needed.  Bryan Mizell, a name we have not heard much of this season, helped confirm the victory with two goals.

Susquehanna University was the next contestant to walk on to Olsen Field. Susquehanna was favored coming into this game, but the Eagles were quick to silence those who doubted them. In the first half they started out strong, outscoring their opponents 9-2. Lamb and Buannic were the scoring leaders for this game. Combined they had a total of ten goals, and when these guys are hot they know how to score. The Eagles won that game 18-7.

In their next game they played Stockton University, a team with  an impressive record of 7-2. However, the Eagles refused to let them get the upper hand the entire game. During the last period, the Eagles delivered their deathblow. They outscored Stockton 5-1. Tim Lamb scored two goals in the fourth period, and Jake Billera scored one. Under pressure the Eagles know how to stay calm and clutch, and these games are examples of how well they play.

Their next opponent will be Ursinus College. Coming into this game the Bears are an impressive 8-1, and in conference play they are 3-0. The Eagles need to concentrate on their offense, as the Bears know how to score and can easily split a defense. On top of defense, the offense needs to be alert. Key scorers like Tim Lamb, Mark Buannic, and Jake Billera will need to shoot relentlessly. I can see the Eagles pulling out a win, as they are a fighting young team.

Hall Of Fame Bound

Barry Bonds, the Homerun King, deserves to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Before I get into the discussion of steroids or performance enhancing drugs, I would like to let his stats speak for themselves.

Barry Bonds is a phenomenal hitter, holding the record for 762 career home runs in the MLB. Bonds is a natural slugger, where coming up in the Majors he was a consistent hitter. In his rookie year, he had 16 home runs and 48 runs batted in. Throughout his career, America watched him gradually become a better hitter, his name eventually becoming a household name. In his last season with the Pirates in 1992, he had 34 home runs and 103 runs batted in, complemented by a .311 batting average. In his first year playing for the San Francisco Giants, Bonds had 46 home runs and 123 runs batted in, which are typical Bonds’ number. Bonds was not your cliché slugger, striking out only 79 times that season. In the Majors today, sluggers average about 100 strikeouts per season. He also maintained a high batting average that season at .336. 2001 marked a historic year in baseball, with Bonds hitting 73 home runs in one season, setting a record. And on top of swinging for the fences 73 times, he still managed to hit .328.

Though definitely a great hitter, Bonds was also an amazing defender. He obtained 8 Gold Gloves in his career. Bonds also played outfield and had a stellar arm. Now Bonds was no Ken Griffey Jr., yet he certainly played at the same tempo, winning Gold Gloves the same year as Griffey (Griffey won the Gold Glove award for the AL/Bonds won the award for the NL).

The steroid allegations against him are what haunts Bonds till this day — he wasvoted out of the MLB on four separate occasions. Bonds was never proven to have taken steroids; however, he was prosecuted because he lied in a court case regarding the steroid investigation. On the other hand, the charges were dropped against him. People criticize Bonds because of the charges and are quick to target how he went from bones to muscle mass. If steroids are the only way to bulk up, then people need to revoke their membership to their local gym.

Furthermore, last time I remember. steroids do not improve vision. Bonds’ vision was amazing, where after 22 seasons, he maintained a .298 batting average. Those numbers prove he was a natural athlete, who, by the way, holds the records for career balls on bases. Rather than focus on steroids, they should focus on his numbers. No offense to Mark McGwire, but compare his numbers to Barry Bonds, and then tell me who took steroids. McGwire’s numbers are all over the place and never consistent. Since coming up in the Majors, Bonds has played at a level that proved he was going to be a legend in baseball. Barry Bonds brought life to the MLB when it needed life, now they need to return the favor and bring life to his dream of being a Hall of Famer.